Orara High School, is a secondary school

Secondary school

Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

 located in Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour, New South Wales

-History:By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast Railway Line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. On 12 November 1969, approval was given for a new high school to be built on Joyce street. In August 1970, positions at the new school were advertised. In 1972, Orara High opened at its present Joyce Street Site. Current student enrolment totals more than 780.

Shooting incident

Early in the afternoon of 19 June 1991, Orara High School was the location of New South Wales' first highschool shooting. A youth wielding a rifle fired several shots in the direction of staff and students, wounding three. Without regard for their own personal safety, four students ran towards the young male while he continued to shoot at staff and students. They successfully tackled him to the ground, averting any further bloodshed. On the 10th anniversary of the event, 19 June 2001, several threats were made by someone who remained anonymous in the form of posting signs around the school grounds. Fortunately, nothing eventuated from these threats.

Notable alumni

• Deborah Knight
  Deborah Knight
  Deborah Knight, is an Australian journalist and news presenter.Knight is currently news presenter on Weekend Today and Monday & Friday news presenter on Today.-Career:...
  
   - Network 10 newsreader.
• Melinda Pavey
  Melinda Pavey
  Melinda Jane Pavey MLC is an Australian politician. She has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 2002, representing the National Party of Australia. A former party staffer, the Coffs Harbour businesswoman attracted attention when she became the party's youngest New South...
  
  - Member of the NSW Legislative Council
• Lincoln Law - Author of A Song of Shadows Trilogy